Expert Advice from wedding guru, Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor

Sharon Naylor is the author of over 35 wedding planning books and a frequent guest expert on
Get Married with Colin Cowie, Good Morning America, and other top shows.
Recently featured in such magazines as Martha Stewart Wedding, InStyle Weddings, Brides,
Modern Bride and Southern Bride, she is the iVillage Weddings expert and host of
"Here Come the Moms" at Wedding Podcast Network.

She lives in Morristown NJ with her husband Joe, and loved using Wedding Mapper for her own April '08 wedding.

ASK SHARON A QUESTION

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Question:

Good Evening Sharon!
My fiance and I are from Chicago and we are looking to do a destination wedding. We were currently looking at the Bahamas, when it was mentioned to us to check out some of the islands on the east coast. The farthest east that I have been is D.C. so I don't know a whole lot a...

Answer From Sharon:

Hi Kristen!
If you're looking to go right off the coast, there's Hilton Head Island, SC that's really nice for weddings. They have a tremendous amount of nice resorts there, with plenty to do, and that's a very popular golf destination in case any of your guests are golfers!
My #1 choice is...

Question:

Hi Sharon, I'm in the process of planning a wedding with the wedding and reception in the same ballroom. I am having trouble arranging my seating for both events without taking down & setting back up. There's only about 150 people attending and we're using round tables.

Answer From Sharon:

Quick question...after the ceremony, will the guests go to a different room for the cocktail party? If so, then the site may be able to tell you what they usually do for same-location ceremonies and receptions. They may very well arrange seating for the ceremony, with the tables and seats for the...

Question:

Hi Sharon! I am at a stop right now with the seating arrangement section. I have the seating already assigned that is good. The part of letting my guest know where are to be seated is what is driving me a lil' crazy. @ the entrance of the banquet hall I am going to have 2 tables. Suggestions, ...

Answer From Sharon:

Great question! Place cards have gotten way more creative now.
You could do the traditional name cards that are just folded 'tent' cards with guests names written on them (as in 'Mr. & Mrs. Joseph Smith') and arrange these alphabetically. Since you have two tables, why not arrange those with a...

Question:

Hi, Sharon! I am having a really hard time trying to pick out my wedding colors. I found a dress that is the color (Blush) and I was going to do tropical colors like orange and different shades of pink but I not sure what color my bridesmaids dresses should be if I do those colors. Then I thought...

Answer From Sharon:

Ooo, I love your idea of having the different shades of pink and orange -- that sounds like it would be really lovely in a tropical environment! Or, if you'd prefer your bridesmaids in a different shade of pink than your blush gown, such as a brighter pink, perhaps they can carry pink and purple ...

Question:

Happy Friday Sharon, 350+ guest I want an oval type seating like a theater seating. I need a sample to see this type seating. Space for stage, dj, 3 special tables. I can visiualize but can not do a layout on paper. Will you be able to HELP ME!

Answer From Sharon:

Sounds like it's time to use paper cut-out templates. Get lots of paper from your recycling bin, and cut out different shapes of tables, seating, a dance floor, etc. and pin them all onto a bulletin board that you're calling the dimensions of the room for the wedding. It won't be an exact science...

Question:

Sharon, Question on to whom to send an invitation. I am the mother of the bride and our family lives in NC and my daughter’s fiancés and his family live in WV. Our extended family lives all over and all of his family lives in WV. We have decided to have the wedding in WV, since all of our famili...

Answer From Sharon:

Great question! Whenever you send an invitation to someone, you should always expect that they WILL come. Family that doesn't get together very often is more likely now to make a plan to travel for a family wedding -- with everyone together in one place, making that their vacation has a great ben...

Question:

Hello! I am trying to decide my colors, I like green and blue. My fiance' will be wearing brown cowboy boots. My favorite color is green and I was thinking of having green table clothes with blue and white bouquets as center pieces. My question is, do you think that a medium brown suit with green...

Answer From Sharon:

Your color scheme sounds beautiful, and greens and blues are actually the #1 color plan for weddings right now! I like the sound of the brown suit and green tie -- especially if you bring in lots of tans and browns into your floral pieces. It's a big trend to use lots of greenery that has really ...

Question:

Hi,Sharon! I am trying to decide on tall centerpieces or short ones for my venue.The ceilings of the room are extremely high.Should I alternate my centerpieces or use a vase that will not obstruct the guests view?My idea for centerpieces would be a tall vase with artificial hydrangeas along the r...

Answer From Sharon:

Hi Marisa!
With a tall ceiling, it often looks best to have at least some tall arrangements, and it's a big trend to alternate heights among your tables. Flowering branches or manzanita branches are really great ideas for adding height, or you can have your centerpiece arrangements set on tall c...

Question:

im havin a hard time tryin to figure what to do for our wedding.we're gettin married in december right before christmas and i dont want a winter theme or christmas theme.but then again i dont want my guests sayin "what were they thinking?"

Answer From Sharon:

Go without a theme! A big trend for winter weddings is to create a really great color palette, such as winter-popular deep purples, blues, and right now a lot of brides and grooms are doing steel gray, black and silver with white accents...add some shimmer to your tablecloths by choosing fabrics ...

Question:

Hello Sharon, I know that I need a wedding planner and a wedding coordinator, how can I be assured that her quote is not outrageous, and her fees are in line

Answer From Sharon:

Ask around to friends who hired coordinators in the past few years, and check with brides that you'll find right here on Wedding Mapper. We're all happy to tell you the truth about our vendors!
The best way to assess wedding coordinator price packages is to call around to several of them, or sub...